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They say this about Bombay. When you start living here it doesn’t let you stay, but once you overcome that, it doesn’t let you go. This held true when I moved here. It takes time to find your bearings. But, when someone like me has this very stupid(in my mind..brilliant) idea that I could become a movie-star(not an actor) and moves bag and baggage then nothing in this world prepares you for what Bombay has in store for you. Just a few modelling assignments and a runner up spot in the Gladrags competition made me believe that I was a born star. So here I was in Bombay having thrown away a very promising and might I add, bountiful software career in the US.
Now, the first thing that hits you is when you are labeled a ‘struggler’ and trust me this is like some social stigma that is attached …

Had just shut my alarm and rolled over to sleep when my cell phone woke me up again. An unknown number flashed.
“hello”, I answered groggily.
“What’s wrong with you”, was the reply.
“Who’s this?”
“It’s Vipin, we were in college together, remember”
“My god! Vipin..it’s been more than seven years. How’ve you been?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Matlab..”
“Why did you pinch Dolly Bindra’s bottom..and when did you start drinking…”
“Hain!”
“Hain kya? I’ve just read it in today’s paper…and you never told me you are married to Shweta Tiwari…my wife is dying to meet her…”

That was my first introduction to my namesake, the other Raja Chaudhary. The article in the paper read, “Raja Chaudhary, husband of actress Shweta Tiwari aka Prerna of Kasauti Zindagi Ki got drunk at a party last night and grabbed Dolly Bindra’s bottom. A tearful Dolly Bindra later filed a police complaint”
I received a dozen or so calls that day from old …